I have heard some few trip reports from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, etc. Tajikstan sounds interesting but no trip reports yet. Indonesia/Southern part of Philippines/and many other places are muslim.

Are these places viable? I mean if you were to travel there, convert to Islam, and live for a while there? I see some of them have very good marriage rates for younger girls as high as 50+%

Or are people there not accepting of foreigners and converts?

I have heard some people talk about how converts are well liked...but I am not sure.
I see these cultures such as Saudi or Tajik/Iran as being very closed off to the rest of the world.
Maybe I am mistaken and they like converts?

Muslims have high respect for converts because they see it as a calling or a personal choice one makes to be islamic, whereas they've been born into it. A convert chooses to be muslim by free will. Converting is not easy, you have to learn, practice & be able to recite the quaran in arabic, etc, etc. Live the life of a muslim.

Thank you for the reply.
I see that in the religion they are accepted.

I know that there was a Soviet soldier who deserted the army and converted to Islam in Afghanistan. He eventually married and started a family. I wonder how he did it and if he had a hard time adapting to his new life.

Renata wrote:Muslims have high respect for converts because they see it as a calling or a personal choice one makes to be islamic, whereas they've been born into it. A convert chooses to be muslim by free will. Converting is not easy, you have to learn, practice & be able to recite the quaran in arabic, etc, etc. Live the life of a muslim.

Really hard if you're not already circumcised.

"Pick a point and go to it."-- Dr John Hunsucker, speaking about canoeing on Georgia's Lake Lanier, with its irregular shape, and 1000 miles of meandering shoreline

It's frightening how they can circumcise a baby. How can you look at you new born & treat him like he has a birth defect & cut him. If all boys are born the same, then it is perfectly normal & it serves a purpose. It's also frightening how millions of parents go against the laws of logic & butcher their babies without a thought.

Well, after some initial research I have decided that what I need is.....more research. I saw a muslim family in the street today, and they looked like a good traditional family....but appearances are not enough to make an important decision.

I made a mistake once before when I went to the FSU to search for a traditional girl interested in family. I had studied the language, met with Ukrainian woman, and read trip reports. I thought I knew, but I really didn't

I think its certainly possible to find traditional women in non-muslim countries and that if I decide to convert to Islam, it should be about the whole things and not just one facet of it. Religion and a whole set of beliefs and social behaviors have a huge impact on daily life, so its worth considering things carefully before making a decision.

Renata wrote:It's frightening how they can circumcise a baby. How can you look at you new born & treat him like he has a birth defect & cut him. If all boys are born the same, then it is perfectly normal & it serves a purpose. It's also frightening how millions of parents go against the laws of logic & butcher their babies without a thought.

It is the Jews who religiously circumcise baby boys. The Muslim practice is community dependent and may be that first week like Jews although those in Western nations are liable to let the doctors do it rather then wait for a religious leader later in a boys life. Or it may be just before puberty like Malaysians as seen in the TV movie Roots with a young Kunta Kinte. Since it is not in the Holy Quran but in the Hadiths. Quran only Muslims don't necessarily get it done and there is a debate about male converts to Islam go with the Shia you most likely would with other groups not necessarily so.

If you look at the list of countries according to marriage rate, they're almost all Islamic countries in the top. Russia and Belarus have high marriage rates.....but also near 50% divorce rates which makes those marriages worthless. I think Islam has a lot of good things to teach about family values. Whether or not I would fit in with the people and the religion....is another matter that demands more research.

While I credit the OP with having the rare good sense to look at both marriage rates AND divorce rates. I'm not sure if it's that useful info.

What about all the people that shack up and call themselves husband and wife? I know this is common in Latin America and Africa. I doubt this is included in the official marriage rate.

And what about all the people that live apart, but remain legally married. to avoid the expense of legal divorce (and also because remarriage in a Catholic country is difficult)? I know this is common in Mexico. I doubt this is included in the official divorce rate.

I suspect that the OP's chart understates both the actual real-world marriage AND divorce rates in Latin America.

"Pick a point and go to it."-- Dr John Hunsucker, speaking about canoeing on Georgia's Lake Lanier, with its irregular shape, and 1000 miles of meandering shoreline

Certainly, but a traditional country that respects the sanctity of marriage will not allow couples to live together before marriage. What you are speaking of is a degeneration of religious and moral values. This is occurring in Europe too where many people just don't get married and simply live together.

The stats may not be perfect, but they certainly point in the right direction.